Catherine Fischer

Catherine is a Public Diplomacy coned Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State. She has served in India, Brazil, the Philippines, and at the Operation Center and Bureau of Public Affairs in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the Department of State, Catherine was President of Speakeasy Theaters which operated the Parkway Theater in Oakland, CA and the Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito, CA. As owner and co-creator with Kyle Fischer, Catherine oversaw the development and operations of these restaurant-movie theaters. Each theater reflected the community it was situated in and provided a comfortable evening's entertainment including movies, quality food, and beer and wine. In addition to traditional movies, the company partnered with community organizations to fund-raise and provide community-building events; and worked with local artists and personalities to expand beyond a simple movie for entertainment. In 2007, she appeared in Rob Nilsson's "Go Together" playing the theater owner, a character based on herself. Prior to Speakeasy Theaters, Catherine and Kyle started a publishing company, Wild Card Press. Catherine has also had her own catering company, Campbell-Ortiz, and was the Executive Chef at The Faculty Club on the University of California at Berkeley campus where she created many Wine-Maker Dinners. Catherine holds a BA in Russian History from Wellesley College and certificate of Chef Training from the California Culinary Academy. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of San Francisco where she has been a member since 1994, serving on the Board of Directors for five years including President, 2006-2007. She has sat on the boards of the East Bay Agency for Children, the Berkeley School Excellence Project, and the Advisory Board of the Berkeley Student Food Collective.